US judge blocks Homeland Security operations to identify non-citizen voters in nine states
A federal court says the investigations likely violate the Voting Rights Act's ban on voter intimidation and may rest on flawed data.
At a glance
- A US federal judge ordered DHS to halt operations aimed at finding non-citizen voters in nine states before the November 3 midterms.
- Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin said the investigations likely violate the Voting Rights Act ban on voter intimidation and may use flawed data.
- DHS said it targets people who vote illegally and has no plans to question those it believes are US citizens.
A US federal judge has ordered the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to halt operations aimed at identifying non-citizen voters in nine states ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin ruled that the investigations likely breach a provision of the Voting Rights Act that prohibits voter intimidation, and that the department may have relied on flawed data. The order covers federal efforts in California, Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin.
The judge wrote that the operations create "an objectively reasonable fear of law enforcement entanglements that intimidates citizens from urging or aiding others in exercising their right to vote".
What the agency says
DHS has publicised what it describes as a push to find people who committed voter fraud, with some local offices posting photos of agents knocking on the doors of suspects. The operations come as the administration of US President Donald Trump has sought to highlight voter fraud ahead of the midterm vote.
Recorded fraud occurs in every election cycle, but such isolated cases remain exceedingly rare, and there is no evidence that non-citizen voters have influenced the outcome of any election at any level in the country.
After Thursday's ruling, DHS said its investigations were meant to remove "aliens who vote and dilute the votes of US citizens", adding that it has no plans to question or investigate people it believes to be US citizens.
Lawsuit and reaction
The California Nurses Association and National Nurses United, along with the Voto Latino Foundation and San Francisco and Santa Clara County, brought the lawsuit challenging the DHS operations. They said some US citizens felt they had been wrongly identified and questioned.
A lawyer for the groups said it was clear from the start that DHS built its lists on bad data, never checked how often it was wrong, and recklessly sent agents to people's homes weeks before an election. Benjamin Farley, supervisory counsel for democracy defense at the National Immigration Law Center, called the decision a clear rebuke of government efforts to scare voters away from the polls, and a reminder that all US citizens have the right to take part in elections free of intimidation.
"No armed federal agent is going to stop us from casting our vote," he said.
Source: Al Jazeera.
Questions and answers
- Why did a US judge block Homeland Security's non-citizen voter investigations?
- Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin ruled the operations likely violate a Voting Rights Act provision banning voter intimidation, and said DHS may have relied on flawed data.
- Which states are covered by the ruling?
- The order applies to federal efforts in California, Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin.
- What did DHS say after the ruling?
- DHS said its investigations aim to remove people who vote illegally and dilute US citizens' votes, and that it has no plans to question or investigate people it believes to be US citizens.
